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Assistant Secretary of State: U.S. sees the peace opportunity between Armenia and Azerbaijan-UPDATED

28 June 2024 18:25 (UTC +04:00)

"We have a strong and efficient partnership with Azerbaijan in many fields. We want to further strengthen and expand the areas of cooperation," James O'Brien, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, said during a briefing, APA reports.

"In today's meetings, we reviewed the situation in the region and the opportunities for our governments to work together more and effectively. I will mention a few of the specific issues we discussed. In particular, with the President, then the Foreign Minister, the national security advisor and the special projects advisor, we reviewed the situation in the region from Central Asia to the Atlantic Ocean. If we look at how the events of recent years have created conditions for Azerbaijan to play a central role in the reshaping of the politics of this region, we see the important point for achieving peace with Armenia. This is a way that enables the resolving of the decades-long dispute between the countries, as well as the establishment of peaceful neighborly relations in the future."

He noted that this process will also benefit the region as a whole.

"Because we think that their (Azerbaijan and Armenia - ed.) cooperation will improve security cooperation with neighbors who may have some negative interests, and will create conditions for cargoes to be transported to global markets through Central Asia, Azerbaijan, and then through Georgia and Armenia. This will be good for every country and will create great economic opportunities in the main transit countries - Azerbaijan and Armenia. We are discussing the importance of working on it, and both sides say they are very interested in making it happen."

James O'Brien also mentioned that they discussed Azerbaijan's Presidency of COP29 and the climate change negotiations.

"The United States has firmly supported Azerbaijan in this role, provided as much advice and technical support as possible. We believe that climate change is the main problem for the world, and this conference offers an opportunity to make real progress on some of the critical issues needed to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and address this process."

He also noted that he discussed the importance of human rights and democracy in Baku.

*** 17:05

We have effective cooperation with Azerbaijan in various fields, James O'Brien, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, said during a briefing, APA reports.

According to the diplomat, he discussed the regional situation and cooperation during his meetings in Baku today, reviewed the developments during recent years.

Blinken's assistant also spoke about the normalization process of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations. The American diplomat noted that the United States sees the peace opportunity between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He added that "resolving the conflict comprehensively would be beneficial for the region as a whole, as well as will have economic benefits."

James O'Brien emphasized that they discussed Azerbaijan's presidency of COP29 as well during the meetings as: "We will provide technical support to Azerbaijan in this process. We consider climate change a serious global challenge."

The diplomat also pointed out that he addressed the importance of human rights and democracy during the discussions.